Murph`s 320mm brake upgrade kit

Murph’s 320mm brake upgrade kit
The following is an installation of Murph’s 320mm brake upgrade kit. I stalled this kit in
about two hours which included the taking of the pictures. I did this by myself so if I overlook
something notify me and I will update the procedure. First off having a service manual is very
helpful if you have never removed your front tire or brake caliper assemblies. My method is
exactly like the one in the service manual. The service manual however does not cover removal
of the brake rotors. The assumption here is that any work done on your braking system should be
performed by a qualified mechanic familiar with your bike. I am not a mechanic by trade but was
confident in my skill and knowledge to perform this install. After having done the install anyone
with a mechanical aptitude can do this with ease. There are a couple of things you should do or
have done to your bike prior to installing this kit, one replace your stock fork springs with
straight rate springs ( Murph sells these too!) , second install stainless steel brake lines ( Another
Murph item! ). I recommend doing these because the purpose of upgrading your brakes is to
bring them in line with current systems and the effects of all this new found stopping power will
change the way your bike behaves when you put it to use. For example without better fork
springs your bike will dive when your put these 320 mm rotors on, which given an emergency
braking condition could cause some severe handling problems. The stainless steel lines provide
better “feel” at the lever and lessens the fade caused by stock rubber lines expanding under
pressure. Plus they look cool too!
These rotors are made by EBC and talk about looking cool, they will get looks wherever
you go. Below is a picture of what you get from Murph. The kit includes the EBC rotors, EBC
HH brake pads and new caliper brackets.
Below is a picture of the tools required to perform this upgrade. Torque wrench, Breaker bar, 12
mm hex wrench (For axle) 12 mm socket ( For brake caliper bolts), 8 mm hex socket ( For Axle
clamp bolt) 6mm hex socket ( For brake rotor bolts)10mm flare wrench(For Bleeding brakes ) 2
bungee cords (To hold brake calipers out of the way) Brake cleaning fluid and High temperature
synthetic brake grease(Not shown).
The installation, I used the service manual method for removing the front wheel with one
exception; I broke the brake rotor bolts free before removing the front wheel. I found this to be
easier than doing it off the bike.
Place bike on center stand.
Remove speedometer drive cable.
Remove brake caliper bolts.
Remove brake calipers and suspend out of way.
Loosen right side axle clamp bolt.
Place jack under engine and raise front wheel.
Loosen axle and slide out while supporting wheel.
Remove wheel.
Remove speedometer gear housing and collar.
I supported the wheel on a plastic trash can with a towel. As shown below.
Remove the 5 brake rotor bolts.
Remove the brake rotor.
Position the new EBC rotor.
The stock bolts were Locktited so I cleaned them and reapplied some Locktite before reinstalling
them. Here what it looks like at this stage.
Torque the brake rotor bolts using the standard star pattern to 16.5 ft-lb (Direct from service
manual.)
Brake caliper disassembly.
I left my brake lines attached as I had just recently flushed and bled my brake lines. If you are
installing new stainless steel lines you might as well remove them at this stage it will make
working with the caliper easier and you will have to bleed the entire system anyway.
Pad removal is just as the service manual describes:
Remove piston side pad.
Slide caliper bracket towards piston.
Remove outboard pad once bracket pin clears pad.
Remove anti rattle spring and pad positioning clips.
Remove dust covers and slide caliper bracket out of caliper. Note one dust cover stays attached
to caliper.
At this point I cleaned and inspected the brake pistons and caliper.
Brake caliper reassembly.
Grease and install dust boot on bracket assembly. One boot remains with the caliper the other
slides off the old bracket. Here is what it looks like.
Install the pad positioning clips. I had to bend the tab shown on top to ensure a tight fit.
Install new bracket into caliper.
Install anti rattle spring.
Install brake pads. Here is what it should look like.
Reinstall front wheel using reverse of removal procedure.
Align brake caliper bracket with rotor ensuring adequate clearance to slide brake pads over rotor.
This might require bleeding off a little fluid if you did not remove the brake lines. In my case my
pads had worn down enough by the time I had changed my brake line to stainless steel it required
bleeding off a little fluid to get the required clearance due to the thickness of the new pads.
Reinstall the brake caliper bracket bolts. Here is what it looks like at this stage.
Repeat procedure for left side.
Torque brake caliper bracket bolts to 24 ft-lbs.
Recheck rotor mounting bolts torque to 16.5 ft-lbs.
Recheck speedometer drive cable to ensure seated properly.
Recheck axle clamp bolts.
Check for free rotation and clearance.
Lower bike and perform road test.
Here is what it looks like when you are done prior to road test.
Here is the end result after road test.
I can honestly say that this was a very easy way to improve the Concours braking and feel. I have
only put 150 miles on this setup to date as it is raining almost everyday around here. I will say
that you will get the most benefit from this if you have changed out your fork springs and added
stainless steel lines. The performance is right on par with more modern bikes and the added
braking power gives you more confidence in the twisties. I enjoyed the ease of installation and I
am sure many of you COG members who are far more experienced in maintaining your rides
will appreciate the quality of the components and the simple installation. One other point these
are very cool looking and add a great look to an already great looking machine.